Welcome to Hood Politics. In this episode, I will be discussing the case of extortion and murder committed by 18th Street gang members. The facts of the case are as follows. In 2020, a man named Roberto was running a Mexican restaurant known as Estilo Tuca. It was on the corner of 76th and Hoover Street and was a staple in the neighborhood.
The menu featured a mixture of beef, chicken, and pork dishes. The restaurant had a constant flow of customers and would host events in his outdoor eating area. Everything from birthday parties to baby showers to fight parties took place at Ailo Tuca. The restaurant was located in 18th Street gang territory.
And after seeing the success, a 21-year-old 18th Street member named Wilbur Cruz, also known as Hellboy, approached Roberto with an ultimatum. either pay the gang a weekly fee for permission to operate or face the consequences. Roberto was hesitant because he didn’t want to be extorted, but he knew the consequences of not paying the gang could mean death.
Gangs charging businesses a fee to operate in their territory is nothing new. Whether legally or illegally, if someone is making money in the gang’s territory, they are subject to be taxed, and the consequences for refusing to pay can be deadly. On February 12th, 2020, Roberto was at the restaurant with one of his employees, a 43-year-old man named Miguel Marquez.
Miguel was a fixture at the restaurant. He could always be seen helping customers, cleaning the area, and directing traffic. He was a father of two children and known as the neighborhood handyman and would fix people’s vehicles and household appliances, sometimes for free. As the two worked, Wilbur showed up again. He approached Roberto and demanded money.
Roberto tried to calm the situation and talk Wilbur out of extorting him, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Wilbur then pulled out a gun and shot Roberto’s dog. He told Roberto to pay up or he would be next. Roberto and Miguel called the police and told them about the attempted extortion and shooting.
Officers tracked down Wilbur and arrested him. Roberto was arrested a few days later on an unrelated charge. While in jail, he ran into Wilbur. Wilbur told him he would protect him if he didn’t press charges, but if he continued cooperating, there would be consequences. Roberto was released from custody in March of 2020.
When he went back to his restaurant, he saw someone had spray painted the wall, calling him a rat. A few weeks later, a 40-year-old 18th Street member named Carlos Aorio, also known as Youngster, showed up at the restaurant and warned Roberto and Miguel not to testify against Wilbur.
Roberto and Miguel were scared, but they figured the only way to escape the clutches of the gang was to continue cooperating with investigators. They feared the gang would retaliate, and sadly, their fears came to fruition. On Monday, October 5th, 2020, at around 9:30 p.m., Miguel was standing across the street from the restaurant with his friend MS and his cousin BR.
A few moments later, a black Chevy Tahoe came driving down the street and stopped next to them. A man got out the SUV with a gun in his hand and approached Miguel. He asked him where he was from, and moments later, he opened fire. Miguel was shot multiple times and collapsed on the sidewalk. The man then got back into the Tahoe and the SUV sped away.
911 was called and police and paramedics arrived at the scene, but sadly there was nothing they could do and Miguel Marquez was pronounced dead. Detectives arrived at the scene and began their investigation. They were able to obtain surveillance footage of the shooting from a nearby market.
The video showed the Tahoe stopped near Miguel, MS, and BR and the man get out the SUV and shoot Miguel. for multiple times. Tonight, the murder of a father in South LA is putting a spotlight on what the LAPD is calling an alarming rise in shooting violence. This includes at least 14 homicides just this month. NBC4’s Hedi Chang spoke with the family of that murdered father as their search for justice continues.
On the corner of 76th and Hoover, just feet away from where he was shot and killed Monday. Loved ones of Miguel Marquez prayed for his killer to be caught. I don’t know how that there can be so much evil in this world. Like they don’t stop and think that that he’s someone’s father son. Maria Dominguez is the mother of his two teenage children.
She says Marquez was a jack of all trades, the neighborhood handyman, helper at a Takaria, but above all a loving father. I I knew he really really loved us and it’s just I just thought like I’m never going to see him again. Marquez is one of the latest shooting victims in what LAPD is calling an alarming rise in street violence with more than 50 people shot and 14 murdered just this month.
Security video from a nearby business shows a man emerge from a dark-coled car Monday night. We’re stopping the video before the family says it shows the gunman shoot Marquez. The business owner says LAPD has this video. As police investigate, Marquez’s family wants the violence in their South Los Angeles neighborhood to stop.
Every single day, someone is getting shot, someone is getting run over, someone’s getting robbed, and it’s like ridiculous. And it’s scary because like you cannot even go outside anymore to your front yard without getting shot in South Los Angeles. HDI Chang, NBC4 News. Detectives then spoke to MS and BR about the shooting.
They said the shooter didn’t say anything to them. He went straight to Miguel and asked him about his gang affiliation and then started shooting. They said there were five people inside of the Tahoe. Investigators thought it was odd that someone would pull up on a group and only ask one of them about their gang affiliation when in most cases the entire group would have been targeted.
Detectives learned that Miguel worked for Roberto at the restaurant and they were both cooperating in the extortion case. They also learned that there was a trial readiness conference for Wilbur set to take place the following month. A trial readiness conference is a proceeding between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the judge.
They exchange documents, make sure discovery is complete, and may negotiate a plea agreement. If they’re unable to reach a resolution, a trial date is set. Detectives immediately surmised that Miguel’s murder was in response to the restaurant’s refusal to pay the gang and to keep him from testifying in court. They then searched the criminal database and looked for parole GPS devices that were worn in the area on the night of the shooting.
They learned a 27year-old 18th Street member named Henry Caytos, also known as Spooky, was near 76th and Hoover Street at the time of the shooting. Investigators traced his movements before, during, and after Miguel’s murder. They then obtained surveillance videos from different locations he visited that day to see if he had been with anyone.
They learned he was with a group of fellow 18th Street members. 19-year-old Jard Collins, also known as Hopout. 22-year-old Trayvon Watson, also known as Trey, 21-year-old Santiago Vayi, and another unnamed man. After investigators identified the man, they then obtained search warrants to access the suspect’s cell phones and were able to trace their movements.
On the day of the murder at around 11:00 a.m., Trayvon picked up Janar in the city of Victorville, where they both lived. The two then made the roughly hour and a half drive to LA where they picked up Henry Santiago and the unnamed man. The group then drove to a home located near 54th Street in Vermont Avenue in 18th Street territory.
Investigators looked through Henry’s social media accounts and saw a video that he posted 15 minutes before the shooting. The video showed the group sitting in the Tahoe. Jar was sitting in the front passenger seat with a gun in his hand. Someone yelled, “Diao,” which means 18 in Spanish.
Someone else said, “Let’s roll out.” And the SUV began driving. A few minutes later, it stopped and the video ended as Jar got out the Tahoe. Investigators then re-examined the surveillance video from the market. Jar was wearing the same clothes as the shooter. The Tahoe he was in was identical to the suspect’s vehicle, and there were multiple people inside the SUV, just like MS and BR said.
After the shooting, the group drove to Chinatown. They got out the Tahoe with a tank of nitrous oxide, also known as Nas. Nas is a laughing gas that gives the user a short but euphoric high. It’s commonly used in the medical field to put patients at ease during procedures. Jar took off his shirt and put on a black tank top.
30 minutes later, a car pulled up. The men got inside and the car drove away. Investigators figured they had enough proof to begin making arrest and started rounding up the suspects. They interviewed Jar about the shooting. Initially, he denied knowing anything about it and said he wasn’t in the area at the time.
But after investigators told him they had video of him inside the SUV and surveillance video of him committing the shooting, he changed his story. Jar said it wasn’t his idea to kill Miguel and he wasn’t involved in the planning. He met up with the others that day just to hang out. He said the group had been doing Nas all day and he wasn’t in his right mind.
He just remembered someone in the SUV passed him a gun and he got out the Tahoe and shot Miguel. He said the others congratulated him after the shooting, but he didn’t feel good about it. Investigators looked through Henry’s cell phone and found photos and videos of Henry with Trayvon and of him and Carlos.
They also found a recording of a cell phone screen that was playing the surveillance video of the murder. Jar, Henry, Trayvon, and Santiago were then each formally charged with murder for the death of Miguel Marquez, as well as assault with the firearm, and gang conspiracy charges. Wilbur was charged with attempted extortion, criminal threats, cruelty to animals, assault with the firearm, and gang conspiracy charges.
Carlos was charged with dissuading a witness by threat or force, assault with the firearm, and gang conspiracy charges. The judge in the case dismissed the murder and gang conspiracy charges against Trayvon, Santiago, and Henry. Trayvon and Santiago each pled no contest to assault with a firearm, and they each received 14 years in prison.
Henry pled no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received 21 years in prison. Carlos negotiated a plea deal with the district attorney in exchange for pleading no contest to assault with the firearm. His dissuading a witness and gang conspiracy charges were dismissed. He received 14 years in prison.
Wilbur’s gang conspiracy charges were dismissed, but he was found guilty of attempted extortion, criminal threats, cruelty to animals, and assault with the firearm. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Janar’s trial began in March of 2024. The prosecutor during the trial was a woman named Rosa Zavala.
Zavala painted Janor as a cold-blooded killer that doesn’t value human life. She said Janar and the others were excited as they made their way to 76th in Hoover Street. Janar then got out the Tahoe and shot Miguel multiple times at point blank range and afterwards he and the others celebrated the murder.
Zavala then showed the court photos of Janor with well-known 18th Street members. She also showed the court the video that Henry had taken from inside the Tahoe just before the murder. She pointed out how Janar was holding a gun and the group was excited and yelling out 18 up until Janar got out the SUV and the video stopped.
Zavala then showed the court the surveillance video from the market. She pointed out how Janor shot Miguel within moments of exiting the SUV. Zavala then played the recording of Janari’s interview with investigators for the court. She pointed out how he admitted to killing Miguel. The defense attorney during the trial was a man named Arnold Nodkov.
He told the court that Jar was high during the shooting and wasn’t in control of his actions. He said the Nas altered his thinking and if Jar was in his right mind, he would have never shot Miguel. Zavala said Jar made the choice to get high and it’s his own fault that he wasn’t in his right mind. She said the fact he was doing Nas isn’t an excuse for what he did and it’s just a poor attempt at escaping accountability.
The prosecution’s gang expert during the trial was an LAPD officer named Ud Martinez. She had been monitoring 18th Street since 2015 and was working with an FBI task force to investigate the gang. Martinez told the court about 18th Street and how the gang is comprised of several different clicks.
She said each click has its own territory and is responsible for taxing businesses in their respective areas. Martinez said since Roberto’s restaurant was in 18th Street territory, it was subject to be taxed. And because he was refusing to pay and had notified law enforcement about the extortion attempt, it was only a matter of time before the gang retaliated.
Martinez said she was familiar with Henry and Santiago and had arrested them numerous times. She knew they were from 18th Street based on their tattoos and field identification cards where they admitted to being members of the gang. She said Carlos was a longtime member of the gang and he had rose through the ranks over the years.
He was now a shot caller and was able to give others orders. Martinez says she believes Carlos ordered Miguel’s murder because Roberto refused to pay and he and Miguel were cooperating with law enforcement and planned to testify against Wilbur. The court also heard about another case of attempted extortion that led to murder.
The Colombia Lil Psychos are another click of 18th Street. They control a large territory in the Westlake neighborhood just west of downtown LA. In 2007, a 37year-old man named Francisco was working as a street vendor selling DVDs and electronics near the corner of Sixth Street in Burlington Avenue in Psycho’s territory.
He had hired two women, Jessica and Daniela, to help out with the business. One day, the gang approached Francisco and told him that he had to pay them $50 a week in order to do business in the area. Francisco refused. The gang approached him again and demanded payment and again Francisco refused.
It got to a point that the psychos would physically chase Francisco from the area but he always returned. During one confrontation, Francisco pulled a knife on the psychos and told them to leave him alone and he wasn’t going to pay. The gang felt this was the ultimate disrespect and it could also inspire other vendors to stand up to them.
So, they decided to make an example out of Francisco. On Saturday, September 15th, 2007, at around 9:30 p.m., Francisco, Jessica, and Daniela were working. Dianiela brought her 23-day old son, Louise, to work with her because she couldn’t find a babysitter that night. A few moments later, an 18-year-old psycho member named Giovani Metto, also known as Rusty, pushed his way through the crowd, pulled out a gun, and opened fire on Francisco.
The area was in chaos as people ran and dug for cover. Giovani then fled the scene. When the smoke cleared, everyone returned to the vendor area and discovered a tragedy. Francisco had been shot four times and Daniela was also shot. Everyone rushed to Louisa’s stroller to check on him and found that he had been shot in the chest.
All three of them were transported to California hospital. Francisco and Daniela were listed in stable condition and went on to recover, but sadly Louise wasn’t as fortunate and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The community was outraged, even for an area that has experienced high levels of violence over the years.
The death of a 23-day old baby struck a nerve. The Mexican Mafia has strict rules against harming children, and in order for the entire gang to avoid a green light, they must deal with the perpetrator themselves. A few days later, three 18th Street members drove Giovani to Mexico. They told him they were hiding him until things cooled off.
The group spent a couple of days drinking and sightseeing. They then told Giovani they were going to drive him to Mexalei where he would lay low. During the drive, one of the members placed a rope around Giovani’s neck and started strangling him. He lost consciousness and the group dragged him out the car and threw him off the side of an embankment.
He regained consciousness as he tumbled down the hill and was able to grab onto a handful of roots and slowly climb back up to the road. A few hours later, a truck driver was passing by and saw Giovani on the side of the road. He gave him a bucket of water to clean up the blood and vomit and gave him a colored shirt to wear to cover the bruising the robe left around his neck.
Afterwards, he gave Giovani a ride to Mexalei where he called his family. A few days later, Giovani made his way back to the US and head out in Utah. Two weeks later, he contacted the police and became an informant against the psychos. Seven members of the gang were convicted of extortion, assault, kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder.
Their sentences ranged from 11 years in prison all the way up to life without parole. Giovani plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and three counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to 51 years in prison. The court felt this case was important to mention because it shows the level of violence 18th Street will commit against those who defy them.
And it proves that the attempted extortion and Miguel’s murder weren’t just isolated acts, but were just the latest incidents in the gang’s effort to maintain control. Ultimately, Jar was found guilty of murder for the death of Miguel Marquez, as well as gun enhancement and gang conspiracy charges.
On April 5th, 2024, Jard Collins was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Miguel’s memory lives on through his family, friends, and the community. He’s remembered as a happy and hardworking man that never hesitated to lend someone a helping hand. Estilo Tuca is no longer in business.
The restaurant shut down shortly after Miguel’s murder and the building was demolished to make way for an apartment building. I want to thank you guys for tuning in. Please like, comment, and subscribe.
